Friday, December 9, 2011

Thankful Thursday, Week of December 1 - 7, 2011

Thursday, December 1, 2011: I'm thankful for the extra rest I was blessed to partake of this morning. The mastitis seems to be completely abated! YEAY!! This was MUCH faster that the last time I had it (all too recently). I'm grateful for the great workout I enjoyed this morning. I'm also thankful for the visible changes going on in my body! My Ria told me, at day 3, I think it was, "Mama, you look thinner already!" I didn't really see it, so I thanked her for thinking so. Then the next day she said, "No, Mama, you're really looking thinner already!" Then, yesterday, she told me, "Mama you're glowing! No, you really really are! You look so pretty!" No one else has noticed any difference in me (including me, for the most part). However, last night (a little), but more so this morning I could see some differences in my body. And then I remembered that I hadn't taken my measurements since the initial measuring. In this program I'm doing, you're supposed to take your measurements every week. So, I took them today. I'm two days late.

Just as a note, rather important in my opinion: I have NOT been watching what I eat. Imagine how much better my results could be if I WAS! However, I'm not. I've eaten way WAY way too much sugary stuff. Rice crisy treats, pie, pumpkin gooey cake, banana gooey cake, snicker doodles, and more... and this poor eating started before Thanksgiving! I began this every-day 'boot camp' on Saturday, November 26, 2011. Today is December 1. I took my measurements on November 22 (I was planning to start the boot camp right then, but didn't.) However, to fully inform you, I was doing the exercises (from this program) that I could find online for about a week before I got my DVD and then I did the workout video twice after I received it. So, the visual impact of the changes in my body are not "just" from one week. BUT the inches lost ARE from November 22 until today. How many inches would you guess I've lost in that amount of time (9 days, I think)? Well, I've lost 7.25!!!! Isn't that AWESOME!!?!??!! I'm SO freakin' excited!!!! I feel even more hopeful about the changes I feel must happen over the course of the next few months.

Oh, I had this realization, for which I'm deeply grateful. I truly believe the Lord showed me this truth. In fact, He has probably been trying to teach me this truth for the majority of my life, but I would not know... In fact, I believed the exact opposite for most of my life, really. The truth I have realized is that I am a thin being who has trapped herself in a fat body because I mistakenly believed it would protect me. I have bound myself (like as in hand-cuffs or tied by ropes) by unfitness because I thought it would free me. I know, sounds strange, but it's the TRUTH! My truth. My Spirit was not "fat" before I learned how to fit into my baby body. I was thin, just as we all were in the Pre-Existence. I was fit and healthy because by Spirit body was perfect as perfect could be. So, now that I know this truth, I feel so amazingly empowered and more at peace about the whole process of getting fit and healthier. I realize that I simply need to do the work I need to do and my body/Spirit will take care of the rest; for it truly seeks stasis in HEALTH. Since part of health is FITness I simply need to get to work!!!! So... I look forward to watching with peace and enjoyment the changes my body will make as I move toward greater fitness (mind, body, heart, Spirit) than I've ever had before in my life!!!!! ^_^

Ria and Kat just tried to take pictures of me yesterday. They were fuzzy because the battery was almost dead. We're going to try again today... some day I'll be able to post them as well as the changes I'll continue to experience! Don't know when because I still don't have communication between my desktop and camera... someday, though I'll get them up! ;) So, from what I can predict, I'll have to get the pictures from my camera onto a disc and then upload them here as I did before. I do NOT know when I'll be able to do that. So... you'll just have to imagine for now. ^_^

Next week I'll report on the inches for the week AND the total from first measure. I hope you'll look forward to reading as much I do to learning and sharing!!!!! ^_^

Friday, December 2, 2011: I'm thankful for a good night's sleep. I woke up quite early this morning and felt well rested. I stayed in bed and rested some more so Jimmy would stay asleep. He's a much nicer baby to have around when he's had enough sleep!

I'm grateful for fun with my girls. They loved doing some art work today and their creations were wonderful to behold! Took pictures, but still no communication between computer and camera. Sorry!

I'm grateful for days at home. I'm grateful for my exercise class (on DVD) and the hard work of my children! They are amazing!!

Saturday, December 3, 2011: I'm thankful for enjoyable days at home. The girls worked on some ornament making after much requesting. They had a lot of fun with it. We also got some cleaning done, which is always good to do on Saturdays. :) I'm grateful for my "secret" workout and the way it helps me feel SO good!

Sunday, December 4, 2011: I'm thankful for a wonderful Sabbath Day. I'm grateful for Confirmation that the change in our Ward Leadership was correct and right. I'm grateful for the WONDERFUL compliment paid me by a friend who said, "I think you're good for my future." What a great one, right? I think it is the best compliment I've ever received. :) I'm grateful for enjoyable lessons and feeling the Spirit.

Monday, December 5, 2011: I'm thankful for the feelings of GOODness and wellbeing I've been blessed with today and a bit yesterday. I'm so grateful the Lord is seeing fit to bless me in this way because I was beginning to feel a bit despondent... much turmoil in my mind and soul for too long feels to be abating and I'm grateful!

I'm grateful for the awesome workout I enjoy! I believe today is day 10 of my 14 day boot camp and I'm feeling kind of sad that it's almost done and I'll move to doing it every other day.... Weird, right? But I'm trying to do the exercise portion of this system I found in the way suggested by the originator/designer of it. She says frequently, "Less is more." And I have a feeling she's really right! I'm grateful that there are portions of the workout that I can continue to do daily even if not the full-on lil' 15 minutes I've been doing... after a step-down to doing it every other day for a few weeks and then every third day for a couple weeks, I'm planning to do another boot camp of the more intense workout. Should be interesting! ^_^

I'm grateful for the awesome workout I continue to enjoy. I'm looking forward to taking my measurements again on Thursday! :)

Tuesday, December 6, 2011: I'm thankful for a good day full of productivity. Ria and I baked LOTS of cookies after we ran some errands earlier in the day. Ria is such a great little baker. I could've probably left her alone to do the three types of cookies we worked on today, but worked with her because #1 I wanted to and #2 I wanted to be able to say I helped make them! ^_^ So, we made snickerdoodles, peanut butter cookies, and peanut butter chubs (they have reces cups in them). That last type is for Jess, mostly, but I'm also bringing some to the baby shower we're going to on Thursday.

I'm grateful that JMy allowed me to complete my short workout this evening. He did cry cause he pulled something down on him, but he was all right and calmed right down. What a precious guy! :) I'm grateful for the great workout I enjoyed!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011: I'm thankful for some time alone to daydream, read my scriptures, pray and do my back stretch. I'm grateful Jessie took some time at home to work on the computer and finish the part of the project I could not do, of the one he let me help him with. I'm excited to get the bits back to finish it up for him. There is something truly satisfying in feeling that I am directly fullfilling my role and duty as helpmeet.

I'm grateful for the hard work of my Ria in doing her chores, school AND baking lots and lots of cookies. She can be such a good hard worker! I love it when she is!

I'm grateful for Tea's efforts to productively occupy herself. I really need to find work for her to do because she so desires to be helpful!

I'm grateful for Kat; even when she's not obedient and unproductive. She's amazing and wonderful in so many ways. And I love her!

I'm grateful for JMy and his sweet temperment; most of the time. I'm grateful for his funny smiles and sweet laughs and giggles.

I'm grateful for Jessie's work, which enables me to work at him with our children!

I'm grateful for 4H... perfect motivator to do some housework I'd been putting off! Love it! I was blessed with the opportunity to see how quickly I could put a kids' craft together and pull an example together to show what it should look like. What a cool challenge! And THIS is what I found and what we made. We haven't yet made any with the foil between the "petals" of the star/flower, but we have made the basic AND the one with the foil star on both sides.... VERY nice. I could decorate a whole tree with these and feel like it looked quite nice! ^_^ I prepainted the rolls, cut them, and the adults made the foil stars, but the pieces were quite kid friendly (about 5years and up). Tea loved doing it, too, but needed quite a lot of help. What a blessing to my life my 4H Mama-friends are!!! LOVE those ladies!!!

I remain very thankful for the workout program I've found and the changes in my body and feelings of well-being, which I continue to feel and experience. :) (And Ria keeps telling me how much thinner I'm looking. And I can tell she means the compliments sincerely - not trying to get something out of me. ^_^)